International news

One dead in Copenhagen shooting that may have targeted cartoonist

Police investigate a shooting Saturday in Copenhagen one man was killed and several others injured. A cartoonist who became controversial for is caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad may have been a target of the gunmen.

By

SamSchechner

A pair of gunmen killed one person and wounded several others during an event in Copenhagen to discuss Islam and free expression in the wake of the attack against French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The gunmen, who are still at large, may have been targeting cartoonist Lars Vilks, who was participating in the event and is known for having drawn caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, Danish police said.

The gunmen fired dozens of shots into the event attended by French Ambassador to Denmark François Zimeray, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry, said. The French ambassador wasn’t injured in the shooting.

“The ambassador was in complete shock,” said spokesman Roman Nadal, who said the participants were rushed to a closed room inside the center after the shooting.

French President François Hollande said he deplored the attack and expressed his solidarity with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, his office said in a statement. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was headed as soon as possible to Copenhagen, the statement added.

The attack unfolded Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m. local time at a cultural center in central Copenhagen, at which the French ambassador was set to be the keynote speaker, the French foreign ministry spokesman said. The wounded included police who were guarding the event, he added.

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